NAMM Volunteers

Allan Clark began taking training classes as a volunteer docent right when the NAMM Foundation’s Museum of Making Music was opened to the public in 2000.  Since that time Allan has provided countless tours of the museum as well as volunteered at many museum events such as the annual fund raisers.  Shortly after his training as a docent, Allan volunteered to help catalog the physical collection of the NAMM Resource Center.  He has provided hundreds of hours to research and file for the library, work that has been a great asset to the staff and in moving the organization of the arch

Thomas Claxton has had some meaningful vocal coaches over the years who have inspired him and taught him important tips, such as how to protect his voice. Lauren Ringwald was his vocal teacher in school and later he was trained by Ron Anderson, whose long list of clients included Myles Kennedy and Axl Rose. Thomas cut his teeth in the Savannah George music scene playing in bars and nightclubs before his career took off and he could quit his day job. Thomas has also been an events producer and worked closely with the NAMM Show for the Top 100 Dealer Awards after-party in 2018 and t

Dick Dale was the King of the Surf Guitar whose driving style redefined instrumental music in the early 1960s. His music conjures the mood of the era so successfully that many of his tunes such as Miserlou are often heard on movie soundtracks and television programs that help evoke that era. Dick was also a noted figure in the music products industry as instrument designer and endorser. Over the years he performed countless times during the NAMM shows including an emotional performance for the first of our annual Tribute programs, which is held every Thursday of the Anaheim Show t

Suzanne Del Fiorentino brings creativity, empathy, and keen attention to detail to her role as a volunteer videographer for the NAMM Oral History Program. Since 2016, she has recorded well over 1,200 interviews, adding her own personal flair to each by thoughtfully arranging backgrounds that reflect the subject’s personality—often brightening the frame and putting interviewees at ease. Her passion for animals also plays a surprising and effective role; asking about a pet dog or cat has a way of calming nerves before the camera rolls.

William Demmers volunteered for the NAMM Foundation’s Museum of Making Music for over ten years. During that time he provided tours as a trained docent to guests of all ages. His own background in music was fascinating. As a teenager Bill played trumpet in a traveling big band in the Mid West, played bugle as a service man during World War II and the Korean War and at one point also played the double bell euphonium. His volunteer efforts for NAMM also include dedicating hundreds of hours to the Resource Center where he worked on, among other projects, the Oral History collection.

 Dorothy Demmers was proud of the volunteer work she and her husband Bill provided the NAMM Foundation’s Museum of Making Music. For over a decade she gave her time and talents by providing tours of the museum to all ages of visitors. Dottie also helped run the museum store, created and managed the historic files for the volunteer program as well as assist with many museum events. She and Bill also volunteered countless hours in organizing the archives within NAMM's Resource Center. Dottie passed away on February 12, 2021, two months to the day after her husband Bill, who also vol

Jim Funada has dedicated the past four decades to serving the music products industry with passion and commitment. His journey began at the Yamaha Corporation, where he delved into keyboard retailing and laid the foundation for a remarkable career. In the late 1960s, Jim took on the responsibility of overseeing Yamaha school programs across the San Francisco Bay Area, spearheading their success and subsequent expansion to multiple cities and states in the western region. His expertise led him to Yamaha's headquarters in Southern California, where he continued to contribute signifi

Joel Ginsberg has dedicated his professional career to supporting the arts through leadership roles in development, marketing, multimedia production, and project management.

Steve Helmbold began playing trumpet at age eight, inspired by one of his early musical heroes, New Orleans jazz great Al Hirt. He remained active in school music programs through high school, including playing in the marching band. At 20, he left his native Ohio for Los Angeles to pursue a career in music. Soon after he began his eight-year journey at the legendary Troubadour, working his way from bartender to manager, all while soaking in the venue’s eclectic and inspiring live performances. While studying at West LA College, a classmate introduced Steve to the Waddell Quartet,

Dave Pomeroy has been active during the Summer NAMM Show in Nashville as both a performer on stage for many events and as an exhibitor as president of the Musician's Union in Nashville.  Dave’s playing career has included live performances and studio recordings with Trisha Yearwood, Alison Krauss and George Jones.  He became personal friends with singer/songwriter Keith Whitley and in fact spent a lot of time in the studio with Keith towards the end of his life, which was cut short in 1989 when Keith was 33.  Dave was elected president of the Nashville Local 257 of the American Fe

Catherine Poruba and Barbara Gard are the only children of former NAMM CEO William Gard (1915-1987). Mr. Gard’s legacy is strongly remembered and archived by the people who worked with him over his long career. His daughters added vital background facts and family stories behind the man who built NAMM back up after World War II and took the association into the convention halls and early computer age. Catherine worked with her father in the Chicago office for three years beginning in 1966 and offered insight on his strong relationships with his employees as well as the leaders of

Bernard Purdie became a studio drummer in the early 1960s. In fact his first recording was when he provided the influential drum beat heard in the beginning of “Just One Look” with singer Doris Troy. Since that time he has played important roles on several landmark recordings and partnered with many drum and percussion companies as a consultant on new products. Purdie is also a regular attendee and performer at most NAMM Trade Shows who has inspired many by his talent and positive approach to music making. 

John Riddle played a vital role in the NAMM Trade Show for decades. His strong relationships with exhibiting companies reflected a deep commitment to customer service as he supported NAMM members while ensuring adherence to show rules and regulations. Walking the show floor with John was an education in itself, as his knowledge, professionalism, and steady presence helped guide both exhibitors and staff alike. He was dedicated to the core values of NAMM in such a lasting way that it often became difficult to distinguish which services had always existed and which ones John had tho

Danny Rocks was associated with music publishers for many years. He served at Alfred Publishing as vice president and was a large part of the RPMDA. By all who knew him, he was the RPMDA historian. Having made music his entire life, Danny was dedicated to helping others do the same. In 2005, he became the president of AMC – the same week he was NAMM’s 500th oral history interview. Danny formed his own company and consulted many in the industry as well as played a vital role in the growth and development of the NAMMU classes held at the Idea Center at each NAMM Show beginning in 20

Allan Rosenthal has served as NAMM’s Certified Public Accountant beginning in the 1980s, when the trade association moved its headquarters from Chicago to Carlsbad, California.  Allan has played an active role in the growth and development of the organization, serving the board on many important projects including the creation of the NAMM Foundation and the construction of the building, which now houses the NAMM offices and the NAMM Foundation’s Museum of Making Music. Allan recalls with a smile the early task of converting NAMM’s ledger books from paper to computer as well as the

James Saied, the founder of the Saied Music Store chain in Oklahoma loved the marches of John Phillip Sousa! In fact, he liked them so much that he teamed with then NAMM President Ziggy Coyle to create the bill Ronald Reagan signed into law in 1983 making the “Stars and Strips Forever” the national march. As successful as his business began and as poignant his contributions to the industry were, Jimmy seemed most proud of educating children in music. He said, “Music can give so much to a person’s life. We ought to give music to every child!”

Bobby Shew’s cool jazz trumpet style helped revolutionize jazz in the 1960s through a series of successful recordings and world tours. During those years he developed several ideas that would lead to the design of his own trumpet. He felt that these improvements and adjustments would make it easier for the musician to achieve their desired sounds in a more consistent manner. Yamaha produced the trumpet and Bobby hand checked and set up each and every instrument before it was sent out to the stores and musicians. His important role as educator and clinician brought him to the NAMM

Lillian Siegh played a vital role in the inner workings of NAMM for over 35 years! William Gard hired Lillian as a secretary in 1949 and for a time she was the office manager before becoming Mr. Gard’s executive secretary. She helped plan many of NAMM’s events and was instrumental in the parties during the NAMM show including the memorable finale evening banquet. After Mr. Gard’s retirement in 1981, she became Larry Linkin’s assistant. She retired when NAMM’s headquarters was moved from Chicago to Carlsbad, CA, in 1984.  

John Stowell has been a strong supporter of the music industry as a jazz guitarist and has performed at the NAMM show over the years as well as at the NAMM Foundation’s  Museum of Making Music in Carlsbad. Fans of the museum may recall the special program during the 2002 NAMM Show in which John was joined on stage by John Pisano and Jack LeMaire in discussing the influence of jazz pioneer Eddie Lang. John Stowell’s career has been rich, as a performing and recording artist as well as a musical ambassador to the Soviet Union beginning in 1983. His first concert in that country was

This video is of our annual NAMM Tribute, created in honor of our members and music industry friends who passed away in 2015 and early 2016. This Tribute was shown for the first time at the NAMM Show in Anaheim, California in January 2016.  All moving images within this video, indicate those who have been interviewed as part of the NAMM Oral History program. Larger segments of their interviews are posted here on the NAMM website (use the "search this site" white box on the upper left and type their name).   Music Used for this video: Misty: Clark Terry - Clark Terry Sextet & O

Linda Vincent worked for a short time at the NAMM headquarters, which is where she met her husband, the late John Vincent, who at the time was Director of Trade Shows. We missed our chance to interview John for the Oral History program as he passed away in 2013.  However, Linda was thankfully able to cover much of his history and her own views of the industry and the inner workings of NAMM for a decade beginning in 1984.  

Rob Walker has been a leader in the global music products marketing that seemed to shift into high gear in the mid ‘90s when he was CEO of the Australian Music Association (AMA). Rob was instrumental in growing the Association’s influence and valuable relationships and creating programs and special events geared towards increasing the number of active music makers in Australia. Several of his programs were showcased at the Global Economic Summit in 1995.

Katie Wheeler was an early volunteer of the NAMM Foundation’s Museum of Making Music in the NAMM headquarters in Carlsbad, California.  Her docent experience with the museum gave Katie the opportunity to work across the lobby in the NAMM Resource Center.  Her personal interest in documentation and organization was the perfect fit in the early days of cataloging the archival collection.  Katie continued to play a very valuable role in finding aid documents for most of the companies and music stores within the collection for searching and easy reference. She passed away in July 2025